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DOI: 10.1177/1473325005052390

2005 4: 135Qualitative Social WorkPeter Szto, Rich Furman and Carol Langer

ResearchPoetry and Photography: An Exploration into Expressive/Creative Qualitative

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Qualitative Social WorkCopyright 2005 Sage Publications London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi, Vol. 4(2): 135156

www.sagepublications.com DOI:10.1177/1473325005052390

Poetry and Photography

An Exploration into Expressive/Creative

Qualitative Research

Peter Szto

University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA

Rich Furman

University of North Carolina, USA

Carol Langer

Arizona State University-West, USA

ABSTRACT

This study explores the use of photography and poetry as

tools of qualitative social research. The question guiding this

exploration is how might the visual representation of reality

(photography) and the compression of experiencesexpressed in words (poetry) provide insight and understand-

ing into human behavior and the social world? The authors

address this question through an extended conversation to

critically examine the nature of poetry and photography in

the gathering, organizing, and interpretation of data. In

particular, both mediums are discussed in relation to the

history of social research, methodological issues, and impli-

cations for social work. A subsequent thematic analysis is

conducted by a third researcher and is presented as a meansof treating the conversation itself as data for qualitative

research. This exploration therefore demonstrates the use of

a creative medium as research and as data for research.

KEY WORDS:

expressive arts

research

photography as

research

poetry as

research

ARTICLE

135

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INTRODUCTION

The multiple work responsibilities with which academics must contend make

the creation and implementation of a research agenda difficult. Committee workand university governance,other service obligations,course preparation, teaching,

and grading are all important faculty responsibilities. These daily obligations

compete with family and social responsibilities, often leaving time scarce for in-

depth research and creative endeavors. Too often, scholarship is driven by the

need to publish or perish, or to procure external funding for its own sake, in

order to fulfill tenure requirements. Such pressures and obligations may dampen

the motivation to find scholarly activities that enliven and enrich our professional

identities, yet will not pad our resumes. For example, extended conversation

between colleagues can be a tremendous source of growth and exploration.Such conversations become touchstones for creative research and inspiration,

and may also counter alienating and isolating factors that often accompany the

academic endeavor within the modern university (Dunlap, 1998; Lewis and

Altbach, 2000). For the authors of this article, such traditionally undocumented

experiences have had profound personal and professional impacts upon our

development.Yet, it has also become clear that such conversations are neglected

in the contexts of our busy lives. Space and time must be carefully carved out

for extended scholarly conversations and candid reflections. The authors alsoposit that accounts of such conversations might have value to other scholars in

terms of their process and content.

This article explores one such conversation, an exploration of the uses

of poetry and photography in social research. To explore the epistemological

and applied research possibilities of these two separate media, and the possibility

of a synthesis of the two, two social work researchers convened in Chicago for

a series of conversations. This article documents and expands this exploration

in several ways. First, a discussion of the context of the conversation is explored.

Second, a brief exploration of the role of expressive and creative arts researchis presented.Third, the conversations are presented in their original, only slightly

edited form. Fourth, the conversations are analyzed as data by another researcher

as a means of independently eliciting the themes imbedded within conversa-

tions.

HISTORY AND CONTEXT

In this article, we refer to each other as Peter and Rich, not author one andauthor two. In personal dialogues, it is important that authors not hide behind

anonymity, but take ownership of their views and perspectives.We have known

one another since the fall of 1991, when Rich was a first-year student studying

for his Masters in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania, and Peter was

136 Qualitative Social Work 4(2)

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in his second year of the same program. Peter was the editor of the student

journal Forecaster, for which Rich wrote two articles.

Over the years we kept in touch with each other to varying degrees.

Over the last year, however, we communicated more frequently by way of emailand telephone to discuss our mutual research and teaching interests. Also, it

became clear that Rich had the agenda of luring Peter to work at his university.

It worked, as we are now both members of the faculty in the same school of

social work.

Our conversation took place over the course of two days during hours

of conversation regarding the nature of using photography and poetry in social

research. We engaged in the process of dialogue as a means of learning from

each other about our respective work in expressive/creative arts research, andas a means of exploring potential research collaborations.We discussed methodo-

logical issues as well as topics that held mutual interest.

Since our time together was limited, we decided that we were truly in

an exploratory mode and agreed that the subject matter of this short investi-

gation would be less important than the process itself. Recognizing the import-

ance of the notion person-in-environment to social work, Peter suggested

investigating a social phenomenon that occurs within public space. Further

defining this, we explored potential activities and relationships that occurred in

the public space of a large metropolitan downtown area. Upon consideringPeters work on the Tobacco-Free Michigan Board, Rich raised the possibility

of investigating smoking outside office buildings. A relatively new social

phenomenon, the notion of smoking in public places is tied both to individual

factors and to social policy.

The outcome of this research is beyond the scope of this article; we

present the content and process of this exploration as a means of illuminating

such a process to other researchers. Conversations that seek to deepen and

expand understanding such as this have been utilized previously as a means ofexploring epistemological and methodological issues in qualitative research.

Ellis and Bochner (2000) utilize a dialogue as a means of exploring the phil-

osophy and methods of autoethnography. Through the use of dialogue as

autoethnography, the authors are able to illustrate the processes of the method.

Autoethnography, which traditionally has been utilized as a means of explic-

itly exploring cultural phenomena, has been recently expanded towards explor-

ing psychosocial phenomena, more broadly defined, through the vehicle of the

self (Furman, 2004a). Their lively, almost Socratic-like dialogue helps readers

to understand not only the content of their deliberations, but the processes aswell. In a very real sense, conversations about epistemology are conversations

about culture; the way we understand and see knowledge is profoundly

shaped by the many cultural factors that impact our construction of reality

(Langer and Furman, 2004). Dialogue has been shown to be a valuable means

Szto et al. Poetry and Photography 137



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of exploring differences in worldviews and cultural experiences (Schatz et al.,

2003).

EXPRESSIVE AND CREATIVE ARTS RESEARCH

Qualitative researchers in various disciplines have been utilizing expressive arts

in research for several decades. Eisner (1981) postulated that both artist and

researcher rely upon accurate investigation of the social world to evoke an

emotional impact on the audience. Both seek to present interpretations of the

world that expand what is already known.Artists and qualitative researchers both

strive for authentic relationships with the external world based upon the com-

mitment to portray the experiences of others in an honest, accurate manner.They both explore the unknown, and hope that such knowledge will lead to

the betterment of personkind.

As with qualitative research, the arts have also been viewed as a valuable

means for communicating complex social phenomena for which statistical means

of representation is limiting (Finley and Knowles, 1995; Percer, 2002). These

approaches are designed to express human experience, not interpretor analyzeit

(Brearley, 2002). It is assumed that, as in the dissemination and consumption of

all knowledge, the consumer will construct their own interpretations of data

based upon their own history, present social context, and needs. Such researchseeks to present data in a manner congruent with the experience of research

subjects.

Positivists and more traditional qualitative researchers may ask how and

why the arts can be considered research.Babbie (2000) postulates that what sep-

arates research from other ways of knowing lies in its focus on empirical knowl-

edge and the generation of theory. In their role as researchers, creative and

expressive artists ground their work in the empirical world. They utilize their

artistic medium, whether photography, painting or words, as a means of captur-ing the essence of an experience, object or phenomenon. As with traditional

qualitative research, theory generation tends to be more inductive than deduc-

tive. It is true that what theory is generated through artistic exploration may

not adhere to the same standards of reliability and validity as traditional research

paradigms. Stein (2003, 2004) observes that poetry and other arts, when they

successfully capture the essence of experience, can be what he called meta-

phorically generalizable. Research generated through poetry and the arts begins

by investigating a particular case, yet seeks to penetrate the depths of that case

to present more universal truths.To Willis (2002), this penetrative potential liesat the heart of the arts as a means of expressive research, which contrasts with

more traditional analytic paradigms.

Poetry has been used in various ways as a tool of social investigation.

Richardson (1992), a sociologist, used poetry to present data describing the life




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histories of unwed mothers. She compressed the essence of life narrative inter-

views into poems derived from key words and phrases of her subjects. She

believes that presenting data as lyric poems, that is, as poems that transcend the

direct chronology of narrative, are extremely effective in communicating livedexperience. Poindexter (2002) used methodology developed by Gee (1991) in

creating research poems utilizing subjects own words to explore the relation-

ship of HIV patients and their caregivers. Langer and Furman (2004) present

research and interpretive poems in the exploration of the identities of Native

Americans. In their research poems, they utilize the poem as a means of data

reduction, compressing thick narratives into tighter packets of meaning derived

from the subjects own words. In their interpretive poems, they allow for the

presentation of their own subjective understanding of the experiences beingstudied.By so doing, they present not only the lived experiences of their research

participants, but of themselves as researchers as well, thus exposing potential

biases. This transparency helps the consumer of the research assess the trust-

worthiness of the data for themselves. Poetry has also been utilized in auto-

ethnographic research as the vehicle for exploring the emotional dynamics of

friendships (Furman, 2004b), the process of coping with a relatives cancer

(Furman, 2004a), as well as the stress of doctoral education (Chan, 2003).

Photography has a more connected history with social research than

poetry or other expressive arts as an explicit research tool. Since its discoveryin 1839, photographers have explored the social function of the camera to

capture, document, and express perceptions about the world. Frenchman Jean

Eugene Auguste Atget (18561927) is the earliest known photographer to apply

photography as a tool of social research.He recorded scenes of his beloved Paris

in breathtaking black and white detail. His photographs proved beyond doubt

that what he saw and experienced was everyday life in Paris. Atget demon-

strated the power of the photograph to re-present reality in stark truthfulness.

In America, Lewis Hine (18741940) recognized the analytic power of photo-graphs to effect social change.Hine was an academically trained sociologist who

used the camera as a tool of social work practice. The photographs inherent

honesty (Curtis, 1989) provided Hine with a valid instrument to advance social

justice. Distressed by children working under harsh factory conditions, Hine

pointed his camera at these children to expose their miserable circumstances.

His photographs of children were widely published and profoundly altered the

publics awareness.As a result, debate over child labor laws ensued, followed by

the passage of legislation to protect children.

Documentary photography continues to function as an important toolof social research.Its capacity to describe and analyze social problems is unprece-

dented in how it links the human condition to viewer. For example, the act of

looking is intensified through the emotive connection made by how the human

mind perceives the external world through the photographic image.The high




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degree of correspondence between the external world and the photograph may

help consumers of research connect more fully with the presentation of data,

thereby making it an indispensable tool for social research.

THE CONVERSATION

Our conversation was typed directly onto a laptop while it was occurring. It is

presented in more or less original form, with a few words omitted when they

appeared unintelligible or were unrelated to the discussion. We chose to leave

the data, that is, our conversation, in its purist form, to show the ebbs and flows

of the process. A few editorial changes were made to help the narrative flow,

and several parenthetical comments were added to help clarify points that thereader might otherwise not understand. The conversation is presented in two

parts, with each of us alternating between the role of questioner and respon-

dent. The roles we took were fluid and therefore our thought and inferences

are tentative and not definitive. While we were tempted to go back and alter

some of what we have said, we wanted to preserve the conversation as data

itself.

Part 1

Rich: Why is photography research?

Peter: Why is it not? By its very nature it is research, it is writing with light.

Whether you are writing with words or with light, you are writing.You are pre-

senting an illustration of the world. Photography documents more accurately

than statistics, it is a direct representation of reality.

Rich: While statistics are abstractions?

Peter: Thats what inferential statistics are.They are estimations of reality.Whenyou take a photograph of a mental hospital, for example,and you see the inhuman

conditions, and you see the horror, the inhumanity; it is what it is.There is no

extrapolation. It is not an approximation. And there are policy ramifications to

this, since it is in front of you, you see injustice, and you must act. It is a tool,

amongst other research tools. All tools have limits.

Rich: What are the limits of photography as a research tool?

Peter: It is still susceptible to manipulation.There is an interpretative component.I take a picture of you, and it is who you are, but we can manipulate it, just as

we can manipulate statistics.You can leave out certain variables, motivated by

ideology. I am not sure, some research is based on hypothesis testing, I am not

sure photography has that experimental quality to it. But it does have a powerful




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sense of validating how things are. It is convincing. It reaches a wider audience,

as it taps into a range of intuitive appeal that is broader.We all look at photo-

graphs; that is why advertising is powerful.

Rich: What about the ability to selectively take a picture of something in a

biased manner. For example, a photograph of someone in poverty, in extreme

pain, that may be only part of the story, selected to illustrate a point. It is not,

perhaps, even the most salient part of the story. How is that research?

Peter: It happened.The Vietnamese kid who runs down the street [referring to

a famous photograph taken during the Vietnam War of a child burned by

Napalm], it happened.The photograph did not sensationalize the event, the event

was sensational. Photographs are the eyes with a memory.

Rich: My question is this, you can photograph someone in a sad moment, the

next moment they are happy. Choosing to photograph or present one or the

other, biases the results, does it not?

Peter: No.This is about selection and presentation, not about the data itself. Isnt

that done with all research? What and how we disseminate information is the

choice of the researcher. The playing field is level, in the sense that is a valid

question across the board, and its not only about photography. And that is thefunction of education.You have to teach how to interpret the data. For social

work and social research, you have to help people read the data. Is it over-kill?

Is it manipulative? If you teach people how to consume, that is half the battle.

Rich: So, in a sense, it is the researchers responsibility regardless of the medium

to collect data in a fair manner.

Peter: Well, and presentation as well.Why do I pick one versus the other?

Rich: So, in a sense, the reliability of the data is predicated on that objective-

ness and fairness of the researcher.But what about research related to social action?

Peter: Yet, but there is also the aesthetic sensitivity of the researcher.There is a

respect for subject matter that needs to happen.

Rich: And, taking a picture that does not capture a subjects reality is not respect-

ful?

Peter: The photographer is an ethnographer in this sense.You try to capture the

context.You have to take poetic license and select context.

Rich: You cannot take it all in.




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Peter: Whether it is a pen and paper, or a tape recorder, you are still always

telling a story.You are there.You have your perspective. And positivists have not

overcome that, they think they do. But they still are subjective.

Rich: So, in a sense, the photographic researcher or creative arts researcher in

general is just being more honest, hopefully, about their subjectivity. Reflexivity

is essential in qualitative and expressive arts research. How does the researcher

using photography engage in reflexivity? How do you explore, not confirm?

Peter: It occurs before, during, and after.You have to think about subject matter

and how you approach the subject matter.You have to decide what to focus on,

and you have to think about it, and what it means, and how it inspires you.

Within that frame, you allow for some spontaneity. If you want to take picturesof a homeless person, you photograph in a certain way. When you look at the

picture later, you have to be open to things that are different.You have to respond

to the data.

Rich: But, what about biases while photographing, how do you guard against

just confirming your views about the matter?

Peter: In one sense, once you put your finger on the shutter, it captures that

moment. But you can go back and pull out different layers of meaning.That isnot confirming, it is learning from the documented event. So, in a sense, the

photographer becomes a student, it is not only about recall.You have to be open.

Rich: Yeah, but what about before or during?

Peter: You have to keep shooting.You need to take a lot of pictures. In a sense,

you have to just shoot, and not be biased, because you dont know.You have to

shoot.You see a homeless person, and I have to just photograph what is in front

of you, you just dont know.

Rich: What drives you to photograph in one moment rather than another? And

not from an aesthetic perspective.

Peter: Lets say, it starts raining, you stop shooting. Or, you want to photograph

the homeless, but there are none there, you have to go somewhere else.That is

the discovery process. What drives the photography process is that you dont

know, so you shoot more to discover.

Rich: So, in a sense, you are talking about a process, at best, of pure induction.

And I agree,yet, for the purpose of credibility, in the academy we have to demon-

strate how we deal with potential bias when we conduct research such as this.

Otherwise, how will our work be accepted? How and when will it be




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published? We still must live in the world of traditional research, in a time when

human behavior has been medicalized and quantified until they are reduced to

often meaningless units. Since it is true that the social sciences are dominated

by logical positivism, expressive arts researchers almost need to hold themselvesto higher research standards than do other researchers. Quantitative research

studies rarely account for the bias of variable selection, should we?

Peter: We need to be aware of this argument,yes. But,we must also guard against

the false dichotomy of qualitative verses qualitative. It involves yin and yang, they

are intertwined.The issues are different, so the standards are different.

Rich: So the expressive arts researcher must develop his/her own standards by

which he/she is judged. Lets talk about the notion of photography as an expres-sive art or documentation. For example, poetry has a very expressive quality, in

which the researcher utilizes poetic tools.For example,in making research poems,

the poet/researcher takes a lot of liberties compressing thick narratives.

Peter: Photography is a one to one correspondence to the world, it is reality.

Lets talk about the arts research, maybe all research, on a continuum. Expressive

arts on one side, photography in the middle, and qualitative research on the end.

They all do different things, your tool needs to match what you are trying to do.

Rich: So when would you specifically utilize photography in this sense?

Peter: When words are not appropriate. For example, I did a presentation of my

photographs of a psychiatric hospital in China.The audience knew this was what

it really looked like. Being there provided authenticity. In that sense, images might

have been more powerful than words.We just saw the city, driving by, if we gave

someone pictures of that experience, it would be more impactful than describ-

ing them. It takes out the imagination, there is only the image. Comparing it to

words, it is more objective. Take ten people viewing a building, they all willdescribe it differently. But the photograph, even if it is taken under different

lighting conditions, or different angels, we will still recognize the building as how

it was perceived. But ultimately, we cannot achieve objectivity.

Now, thinking here about collaborating, it is about intersubjectivity. Its

the dialogue between words and text, words and image, how they fit together.

Hearing inter-subjective discourse, rather than about which is better than the

other. In some ways, our line of conversation about bias was about justifying

these interplays, and they dont need to be justified. So, part of the realization in

talking about this is how we frame it.The goal is not objectivity. Its about what

I was saying before, about the continuum. They are all legitimate, but histori-

cally,we have elevated experimental research over against other avenues of gaining

knowledge.When we think about social welfare policy, the WPA photographs

were far more influential on Congress than statistics regarding poverty. Photo-

graphs are very influential, with lasting impact. Who really remembers NIMH




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research? Yet the photograph can be etched within the mind, and impact us long

after statistics are forgotten.The question is where do poetry and photography

fit, how do we show people how these methods are appropriate to help solve

research problems, how they expand the possibilities? In one sense, statisticalresearch does not impact treatment very much, but these other methods can.

Rich: So, how can you see poems and photography together in research?

Peter: If we are talking about the human spirit, there is something with both

methods that resonates with the human spirit more than numbers, both in terms

of expression and interpretation. I look at a painting, and I react. Someone

produced it, and the audience reacts to it in a powerful way.

Rich: So, in a sense, what we are talking about is a possibly powerful way of

impacting people?

Peter: Yes, that is one of the key criteria that we need to address when looking

at these types of research.

Part 2

Peter: How do you see poetry on this continuum of social research?

Rich: I believe that there are many ways of knowing.There is not this clear dis-

tinction of knowledge, that is, no delineation between what we experience in

the external world that can be broken down by method. The method of data

collection and expression is what allows the world to experience what has been

studied, in some fashion that, we hope, makes it more comprehensible. Poems

allow for holistic understanding that transcends a logic that numbers cannot

understand.

Peter: How so?

Rich: Poems allow for intuition, for emotion, which are important parts of the

human experience that cannot be expressed numerically. Yes, you can have a

numerical score for depression that in many ways is representative of the strength

of depression. But what about the meaning of the depression, vis--vis the

persons life, their context, their dreams, and goals? In working with people, ther-

apeutically, we need to understand this in order for therapists and social workers

to use their experience of depression for positive life transformations.The poem

allows us to understand these subtle tones and textures. Poetry is also congru-ent with the ways many traditional peoples experience of the world, so it is a

good tool with culturally diverse populations.

Peter: What else can poems do in research?




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Rich: One of the key aspects to poetry is compression, the reduction of many

words into a few. In this sense, poetry allows for reduction of data, which we

like about quantitative research, yet allows for the subtleties that we value in

qualitative studies. It might be one means of reconciling these two traditions,which today can feel very far apart.

Peter: But arent there different kinds of poetry?

Rich: Yes, there are, yet the differences may be less important than the simi-

larities. Here is one of my aesthetic biases coming out, good poetry is charac-

terized by three factors: compression, sensory imagery, and on some level,

metaphoric language.Some wonderful poetry is abstract, yet when we really look

at it, they are based on concrete images, things if you will, taken from the realworld.Yet, they may have a dream-like quality or they may transcend formal

logic and be more faithful to the logic of emotion, which is not very linear.

Peter: How about criteria for using poetry in research.You asked me about issues

pertaining to validity and reliability with photography, what about poetry?

Rich: Well, in the role of researcher, the poet must engage in conscious and

constant self-exploration. When he [or she] writes about a subject in front of

himself [herself], or when he [she] is reducing data from narratives, he [she] hasto be very clear to stay faithful to the data. His [her] notes serve as both data to

be worked with, as well as ethnographic notes that explore their reactions. Many

times, these biases should be presented so the reader can decide for themselves

how to interpret the poem.The first allegiance of the researcher, as poet, has to

be to the subjects experience. In a sense, there are two types of poems for the

researcher.There are poems in which they attempt to merely present the subjects

experience as accurately as possible, hopefully utilizing their words, and there are

interpretative poems, in which they deconstruct the meaning of the experience

and consciously allow for interpretation.

Peter: How do you know when to use which mode?

Rich: Good question, again, back to the purpose of the research, and the means

of using poetry in research. As data reduction in qualitative studies, you try to

stay as close to the text as possible. Its good to utilize member checks and asking

other researchers to check your coding, if you will.

Peter: Whats the big hang-up in social work against poetry?

Rich: I think were still affected by Flexner. Nearly eighty years ago, he chal-

lenged us to be more scientific.As we have sought professional recognition, we

have tried to align ourselves with scientists, and this has led to bias against the




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arts and humanities. I suspect this might be occurring in other professions as

well.Yet, this is ironic, since we know that practitioners rely more on practice

wisdom, i.e. intuition, synthesis of informed judgment and the totality of what

we know. It is funny, that IS what a poem is. These are parallel processes, andsocial workers and others in the helping and educational professions would do

well to pay attention to the poem of the poem.

Peter: What is the history of poetry?

Rich: Poetrys been utilized as a form of expression, and healing, in many

societies throughout history. In ancient societies, healers used poetic incantations

along with their tinctures and medicines. Many think it was the words as much

as the medicine that was curative.

Peter: Define for me, poetry.

Rich: That is harder. I would say that poetry is language characterized by com-

pression, image, and metaphor.Hirschfield say poetry is the clarification and mag-

nification of being, through words. A friend of mine, Jim Smith, says poetry is

the distillation of the essence of being, through language.

Peter: When is it appropriate to use poetry as social research?

Rich: When researchers want to capture the lived experience. They want to

speak to the difficulties of existence, things that contain paradox and emotion.

Again, it also depends on whether you are going to use a strict research poem

for data reduction to compress traditional qualitative data into condensed lines,

or whether you are going to go for an interpretative poem, in which the con-

sciousness and judgment of the researcher/poet is evident, even valued.

Peter: Whats the function of poetry?

Rich: Poetry can be used for both aesthetic means or in more utilitarian ways,

as with poetry therapy, education or research. The function of art is complex,

and who your viewer is depends upon your epistemology.

Peter: How is it social research?

Rich: Poetry is not social research, per se, but can be utilized as data or as data

presentation. Poetry allows for social context, for contextualized meanings tooccur. It also has value that is differential. For example, if we wanted to under-

stand a homeless man, a social scientist could conduct an interview, and then

reduce the data into a poem. Or, we could ask the homeless man for his experi-

ence of the world, have him write his own poem.What is social research but




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documenting social phenomenon? In using poetry as research,we can take certain

measures to make sure we have accurate, faithful information. Notice I dont say

valid or reliable, those concepts are steeped in logical positivistic notions that do

not really apply. But, we must make sure it is trustworthy data.We can ask oursubjects the degree to which their experience and emotion was accurately

captured, and work collaboratively with them to change or fix our data when

it falls short. We can work with colleagues to review interviews and give us

feedback about the degree to which they feel we were true to the text. Most

importantly, we can be reflexive and explore our biases and subjectivity, and make

sure to present this as data also.

DATA ANALYSIS

Marshall and Rossman (1989: 14) say that data analysis in qualitative research is

a matter of reduction and interpretation.Qualitative work yields a vast amount

of information. The researcher should reduce that information to discover

patterns, categories, or themes, and then interpret these using some scheme.

Forming the categories of information to which analytical codes are attached

has been called developing coding categories (Bogdan and Biklin, 1992) or

generating categories, themes, or patterns (Marshall and Rossman, 1989).

According to Berg (1995), there are three major procedures that are used to

develop classes and categories in data analysis.The first of these is the common

class. A common class occurs in the culture at large. Typical common classes

include such things as age and gender. The second is the special class that is

particular to the culture being studied and consists of terminology that might

be used to generate in-groups and out-groups. An example of a special class

would be the term Wannabe.The third class is the theoretical class.This class

emerges from the data analysis itself and is an overarching concept that links

the data.

Conversation data was qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis.Additional analysis of words used by particular speakers and overlapping themes

are included. Four themes emerged from the data.The first theme emerged as

a response to the question:What is photography as research and what is poetry?

I call it the Descriptive theme.The second theme is the Differences theme.The

third is the Biases theme, and the final theme is the Justification theme. Each

will be presented using first order constructs, i.e. the words of the respondents

without interpretation or renaming by the researcher, as the titles of the

categories.

Descriptive Theme

The first theme emerges as a definition of photography as research and from a

definition of poetry. It is interesting to compare the different ways in which the




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respondents answer the question. Peter, the photographer, begins by describing

what photography is.

It is writing with light.Peter uses the following words and phrases to describe photography:

it is research

it is writing with light

an illustration

documents (as in records)

more accurate than statistics

direct representation of reality

it is what it is no extrapolation

not an approximation

a tool

susceptible to manipulation

interpretive

validates how things are

convincing

taps into range of intuitive appeal that is broader

reaches a wider audience photographs are the eyes with a memory

photographer is an ethnographer

photographer becomes a student

it is a one to one correspondence to the world

it is reality

takes out the imagination; there is only the image

resonates with the human spirit more than numbers

it is a good tool

Practitioners rely more on practice wisdom, i.e. intuition, synthesis of informed judgment

and the totality of what we know . . . that IS what a poem is.

Rich says poetry is:

a good tool

compression

the reduction of many words into a few

compression, sensory imagery, metaphoric language

(may have) a dream-like quality (may) transcend formal logic

(may) be more faithful to the logic of emotion

form of expression

healing




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incantation(s)

curative

language characterized by compression, image and metaphor

clarification and magnification of being the distillation of the essence of being, through language

capture(s) the lived experience

speaks to the difficulties of existence, things that contain paradox and emotion

complex

not social research per se

has value that is differential

One of the most salient differences in the friends responses to the question

regarding use of photography or poetry as research is that the photographerclearly states that his art is research while the poet says his art is not research but

can be used as data or data presentation. Both agree that their chosen method-

ology is a good tool to capture and compress complex social science data.Hidden

within some of their observations are representations of the core arguments about

the differences between their chosen qualitative methodologies and traditional

quantitative methods.A point that Peter might want to consider is that while he

maintains the viability of photography as reality, he also says it is interpretive.

This suggests an inconsistency that should be expanded upon.

Differences Theme

Peter seems to hold that photography is limited by the same restraints that limit

quantitative methods yet argues that a photograph is not only more accurate

than statistics but also is more powerful.

I am not sure photography has that experimental quality to it.

Peter begins by explaining the nature of inferential statistics in contrast to photo-

graphy.

(they are) estimations of reality

. . . not sure photography has that experimental quality to it

(in research) you have to help people read the data

(photography involves) the aesthetic sensitivity of the researcher

you have your perspective and positivists have not overcome that;

they think they do.

You have to decide what to focus on.

You have to think about it, and what it means, and how it inspires you. You can go back and pull out different layers of meaning.

You have to keep shooting.

. . . we must guard against the false dichotomy of qualitative versus quantitative (the

article uses qualitative both times Freudian slip?) They are intertwined.




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They are all legitimate, but historically, we have elevated experimental research over

against other avenues of gaining knowledge.

. . . the photograph can be etched within the mind, and impact us long after statis-

tics are forgotten What drives the photography process is that you dont know, so you shoot more to

discover.

In contrast, Rich seems to articulate that there are differences between

quantitative methods, traditional qualitative methods, and the use of poetry as

data analysis. Examples of Richs comments are:

(there is) no clear delineation between what we experience in the external world

that can be broken down by method Poems transcend a logic that numbers cannot understand.

You can have a numerical score for depression that in many ways is representative

of the strength of the depression. But what about the meaning of the depression . . .

. . . poetry allows for reduction of data

It might be one means of reconciling these two traditions (quantitative and quali-

tative) which today can feel very far apart.

. . . the poet must stay faithful to the data

The first allegiance of the researcher, as poet, has to be to the subjects experience.

Present subjects experience as accurately as possible. Deconstruct the meaning of the experience and consciously allow for interpretation.

Have sought professional recognition and tried to align with scientists.

Bias against arts and humanities.

(in an interpretive poem) the consciousness and judgment of the researcher/poet is

evident, even valued

The authors seem to diverge a bit at this juncture. Peter maintains that

the photograph is research in its own right. In contrast, Rich says that poetry

adds a dimension to our understanding that quantitative methods cannot.Further, Rich does not see poetry as data collection but as a qualitative tool

that can be used to analyze data.This difference in perspective of the two authors

is interesting and creates a bit of a quandary for this analysis. Peter maintains

that teaching the consumer to read research can be done with photography (Id

be interested in seeing how this can be done), and photography as research is

subject to the same biases as are other research methods.

Biases Theme

Both Peter and Rich explain some ways that the photographer/researcher and

the researcher/poet (note the order of the word researcher for each; does this

mark importance for each?) must work to eliminate bias to the greatest extent

possible.




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All tools have limits.

Peter says:

All tools have limits. . . . we can manipulate it

. . . leave out certain variables

. . . motivated by ideology

The playing field is level in the sense that is a valid question across the board, and

its not only about photography.

If you teach people how to consume, that is half the battle.

You have to think about the subject matter and how you approach the subject matter.

. . . you photograph in a certain way

. . . not be biased, because you dont know . . . ultimately, we cannot achieve objectivity

. . . it is about intersubjectivity

That is the discovery process.

We can be reflexive and explore our biases and subjectivity and make sure to present

this as data also.

Rich, however, maintains that the researcher/poet has specific obligations to

guard against bias and to stay as true to the words of the subject as possible,

even when using an interpretive poem.

(the researcher/poet must undertake) conscious and constant self-exploration

Notes serve as both data to be worked with, as well as ethnographic notes that

explore their reactions.

. . . these biases should be presented so the reader can decide for themselves how to

interpret the poem

. . . utilize member checks

. . . asking other researchers to check your coding

. . . make sure we have accurate, faithful information . . . must make sure it is trustworthy data

. . . we can be reflexive and explore our biases and subjectivity and make sure to

present this as data also

Rich maintains that if biases are present, it is important that the

poet/researcher is aware of them, acknowledges them, and that they even have

the potential to become part of the process. In addition, Rich would utilize

more traditional methods in order to eliminate as much biasas possible. Peter,

on the other hand, maintains that all research is subject to bias and that it can

never completely be eliminated. In order to control or account for bias, Peter

would simply take more photographs. Peter seems to think that the photograph

is both valid and reliable (to use quantitative terms).




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Justification Theme

In this theme, the authors attempt to validate their chosen methodologies as

important contributors to qualitative research endeavors.

When words are not appropriate.

Peter believes that photography is a valid research methodology for the follow-

ing reasons:

(photography) documents more accurately than statistics

(photography does not) sensationalize the event; the event (is) sensational.

There is a respect for subject matter than needs to happen.

You have to take poetic license and select context.

You have to be open to things that are different.

You have to respond to the data.

It is not confirming; it is learning from the documented event.

. . . allow for some spontaneity

Peter would use photography when words are not appropriate.

(photography) provided authenticity

images . . . more powerful than words

. . . it is more objective

. . . the photograph can be etched within the mind and impact us long after statis-

tics are forgotten . . . statistical research does not impact treatment very much,but these other methods

can

(both methods) resonate with the human spirit more than numbers, both in terms

of expression and interpretation

There are many ways of knowing.

In conjunction with Peters observations, Rich says:

. . . there are many ways of knowing. Poems allow for holistic understanding that

. . . transcends a logic

Poems allow for intuition, for emotion . . . important parts of the human experi-

ence that cannot be expressed numerically.

. . . subtle tones and textures

. . . is a good tool with culturally diverse populations

. . . allows for reduction of data

. . . aesthetic means

. . . utilitarian ways . . . depends on epistemology

. . . can be utilized as data or as data presentation

. . . contextualized meanings




20/23

When comparing the two lists, it seems that Peter would create an image

that may surpass words in power and longevity but would still allow people to

try to put their own words to it. Rich would create, from words, an image that

would also be more powerful than mere rhetoric. It is interesting that Peter usesthe term poetic license. Both agree that their method has the potential to

resonate with the human spirit more than numbers.

Other Observations

Peter, as a photographer, uses the word frame several times when speaking.This

may be as a result of his skills or may belie a particular theoretical orientation

the social construction of reality.As researcher, I see the fit between his words,

the method, and social constructionism. For example, using Berger andLuckmans (1967) major points: the most important reality is the everyday reality;

reality has both a temporal and spatial component; knowledge is retained and

disseminated in different ways by different people; and our everyday reality

becomes routinized. It seems that Peter would try to understand everyday reality

by taking as many pictures as possible of the moment. For him, then, he has

created his reality. People who view the photographs will create their own

realities based upon their life experiences and how they interpret the photo-

graphs. He maintains that he can teach people how to be consumers of research

through pictures, but he does not articulate this. How can Peter share his realitywith consumers of research with only one picture? He supposes that he can

and that is the core component of photography: it is reality. Furthermore, this

is consistent with the theoretical model. If I were to use a theory to examine

Richs responses, I would use phenomenology, with a bit of existentialism. Rich

is true to the subjective view of the respondent but maintains that the view of

the researcher is also very important and neither can ever be fully understood

we can only try to understand.

There are several words used in the manuscript that provide interest. Forexample, on page 14, the word qualitative is used once correctly and once

where quantitative should have been used.This could be passed off as an editing

error, but it also may be an unconscious elimination of quantitative from the

discussion. On page 19, the word merely appears before the phrase present the

subjects experience as accurately as possible. One of Richs primary concerns

is that the poet/researcher should remain as close to the words of the subject

as possible.This is not a mere attempt at accuracy; it is a cardinal.Again, usage

of this word might simply point out an issue of word choice, or it could indicate

an unconscious understanding (bias) that interpretive work is much harder ormore significant than research poems utilizing the subjects words. At least, this

is food for thought and may lend itself to further study.

Finally, as would be expected, the Difference and Bias themes overlap.

The authors set out to discuss the contrasts and comparisons to their work from




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quantitative methods. What emerged was more of a similarity between all

methods. This is particularly interesting in view of the opinion of both that

qualitative research is historically undervalued. This might tell the reader that

these two individuals are committed to the research process, aware of the limi-tations of all methodologies, and see their works through a different lens and

in the words of the subject and their own stanzas.

CONCLUSION

The conversation between social workers explored the methodological and

epistemological potential of poetry and photography for social work research.

The discussion was personally satisfying as well as professionally beneficial.Theauthors found affirming the process of critically engaging one another in order

to deepen ways of knowing and to better explain the social world. Questions

and responses were motivated by a deep curiosity for gaining understanding

and insight. The conversation revealed how poetry and photography offers

expressive and creative opportunity for approaching knowledge-building beyond

merely reducing the fullness of reality into bits and pieces. Meaning can be

found between those conversing, the process if you will, as well as in the discrete

representation of words.

The authors believe their conversation unveiled promising potential forqualitative social work research. Poetry and photography are valid means of

collecting, organizing and interpreting data. They recognize that the human

experience occurs within natural settings and the importance of giving voice

to situated events and perspectives. Such an approach to research resonates with

social works recognition of the vital relevance of person-in-environment. It is

the hope of the authors to stimulate the engagement in and publication of

similar conversations; such conversations are invaluable sources of knowledge to

facilitate the growth and development of future qualitative researchers.

References

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Berg, B. L. (1995) Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, 2nd edn. Boston,

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Berger, P. L. and Luckmann,T. (1967) The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise on the

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to Theory and Methods. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

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sulted Oct. 2003).

Chan, Z. C.Y. (2003) Poetry Writing:A Therapeutic Means for a Social Work Doctoral

Student in the Process of Study,Journal of Poetry Therapy 16(1): 517.




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Collier, J. and Collier, M. (1986) Visual Anthropology: Photography as a Research Method.

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the New Millennium, College Quarterly (Winter): 3546.

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tative Inquiry 1(1): 11042.Furman,R. (2004a) Using Poetry and Narrative as Qualitative Data: Exploring a Fathers

Cancer through Poetry, Family, Systems, & Health 22(2): 16270.

Furman, R. (2004b) Exploring Friendship Loss through Poetry,Journal of Loss and

Trauma 9(1): 1817.

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CA: Sage.

Percer, L. H. (2002) Going Beyond the Demonstrable Range in Educational Scholar-

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2002).

Poindexter, C. C. (2002) Meaning from Methods: Re-presenting Narratives of an HIV-

affected Caregiver, Qualitative Social Work 1(1): 5978.

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Peter Szto is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the Uni-versity of Nebraska at Omaha. He has degrees from Calvin College (BS),

Michigan State University (MA), Westminster Theological Seminary (MAR)

and the University of Pennsylvania (MSW,PhD).Address: School of Social Work,University of Nebraska at Omaha,Annex 40, 60th and Dodge Streets, Omaha,

NE 681820293, USA. [email: [email protected]]

Rich Furman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work,University of North Carolina at Charlotte.His research interests focus on Latino

and Latin American issues, friendship and its relationship to psychosocial health

and social work practice, and poetry as a tool in research, practice and edu-cation. Address: Department of Social Work, UNC Charlotte, 9201 University

City Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina 282230001, USA. [email: richfurman

[email protected]]

Carol Langer is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Arizona State Uni-versity West. Her specialties include Native American issues, race and ethnic

relations, theory, womens issues, medical social work, school social work, and

identity. [email: [email protected]]

http://qsw.sagepub.com/

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